TV Review: Gossip Girl – The Goodbye Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl, The CW, Airs Monday 8/7c

Episode: “The Goodbye Gossip Girl” (Season 2, Episode 25)

Synopsis: It’s Graduation day and the gang’s all here. When Gossip Girl dismisses Serena as irrelevant, she launches an all-out attack on the cyberland big brother, vowing to discover her (or his) identity. But two can play at that game, and Gossip Girl has far more ammunition than Serena could hope to have. Meanwhile, the new queen of Constance is about to be elected and Little J’s a candidate. However, winning a peaceful year means playing dirty in the big leagues. does Jenny really have what it takes? Blair decides to end the games for good and confronts Chuck about his use of the “L” word to everyone but her. Finally, a new face emerges and an old “friend” firmly establishes a place in the gang’s world, but what will this mean for the current players?

Review: So, season 2 is over and that’s not exactly a bad thing. Sure, there were high points, but the highs were too often counterbalanced with pretty deep lows. “The West Wing” once called the swearing in of a certain Vice President “a triumph of the middling” and that’s definitely what this season has felt like. Perhaps season 1 spoiled us? Either way, the sophomore year is over and we can reflect on how the season finished off.

The idea of discovering the identity of Gossip Girl was tantalizing, especially as it really does have to be someone featured on the show’s peripheries. Of course, we were never going to really find out who it was, as it’d spell the end of a lucrative series for The CW. However, the chase was fun and the consequences of going head to head with the big G were far reaching. Everyone’s dirty laundry aired at once does remind me of the “take out the trash” day strategy employed in politics. It’s far less damaging to release in bulk than to drip feed as you can’t pay attention to all of them at once. Some stories were juicier than others though, so we’ll see whether any of the dirt sticks as the gang matriculates, Gossip Girl in tow.

It did seem as though Gossip Girl had managed to finally destroy Blair and Chuck’s chances as her all-out assault hit them mid-seduction. The couple that had gone through hell over the last two seasons seemed about to be happy together, only to have past affairs used to ruin it. However, the writers realised that another trip around the block for Dan and Serena just yet would throw the fans into a revolutionary frenzy, and so rescued the damsel and her black knight. How will Blair and Chuck fare with an honest to goodness grown-up relationship, now that the games are at an end and they have both declared their feelings? Though I’m ashamed to admit it, Chuck’s declaration was one of the high points of the episode for me. It was sweet and kind and loving and everything that you could tell was just beneath the sniping back and forth between them all through the series. Oh, and did I mention cute?

Of course, to balance the cute we need something evil and no character manages that better than good old Georgina Sparks. Her mere moments in the episode rank as my other high point as not only do we discover that the Poppy Lifton issue has been resolved (The only problem with this scene: HOW did she resolve the issue?) but also that she will be back! So if things go Georgina’s way, Blair will be getting a new room mate with quite the score to settle and let’s face it, when doesn’t Ms. Sparks get her own way? Perhaps this will be the spark (no pun intended) required to shake Blair’s cobwebs off and get her back to her queen bee fighting weight.

Apparently to balance all that pesky teen drama, there’s the compulsory trip to the grown up side of the street. Yes, we watch more of Lily and Rufus’s awkward fumbling through the minefield of love that they navigate each week. However this week, instead of misery there’s finally a proposal and an acceptance. Now the merging of both households can begin, and with Rufus’s nest egg returned it seems that everything will be fine. Assuming that you ignore that slight problem from Lily’s youth which sat just across from Dan earlier..

Sadly, we may not be not destined to see any more of what came before there even was a little Rufus-Lily baby running around, as the CW have not yet picked up“Valley Girl” for next year. There has been no definite decision regarding its pick up, and it is still officially a contender for a mid-season slot. However, only weeks ago it was all but guaranteed a slot and now the network needs to wait a few weeks before making its decision. Things aren’t exactly looking rosy for the show’s chances.

Whilst this is a great shame, given the quality of the 80s stuff last week plus the excellent casting, it will probably work out well for the network. Working with a tight budget as all networks are in this fun-filled economic climate, choosing shows like “The Vampire Diaries” and “Melrose Place” is a safer bet, providing access to a wider audience than a Gossip Girl spin-off would allow. “Vampire Diaries” should appeal to the Twilight audience (which is rather massive), but may even pull in a wider demographic. Heck, look at how well “True Blood” has done with a very adult approach to the genre.

That’s it from me for the summer. We’ll return to New York’s elite next season, full of questions and hopeful that this time around the show will consistently perform. Will Little J. survive as queen? How will B. cope with her matriculation to lowly NYU, with the lovely Ms. Sparks to keep her company? Has S. really located her father, and why on earth would she want to? Do we really even care? Oh, and of course, does the talented Mr. Bass really have what it takes to stick with former queen B.? Gossip Girl will be watching, and so will we.

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